THERE is always a burning debate on poor governance and pathetic living conditions in small towns, especially in the rural areas of the country, owing to apathy shown by those at the helm of affairs. I would like to share what people in the capital city of Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi have to endure on a daily basis. This may give some solace to those living in small towns who tend to feel marginalised.

Earning the sobriquet of a dysfunctional state, like in Stephen Crane’s classic The Red Badge of Courage, for Rawalpindi’s civil administration and traffic police has apparently become a preferred avocation. The upshot of the attitude is the chaotic traffic, encroachments on G.T. Road (a portion of which has been rechristened Potohar Avenue), illegal parking on highways, and establish-ment of private schools in busy public areas that cause perennial traffic jams.

Undoubtedly, formal complaints lodged on Pakistan Citizen’s Portal elicit prompt response from traffic police officials, but the helplessness and inability to resolve illegal parking, encroachments and traffic congestion issues make the whole complaint regimen redundant.

Moreover, interactions with traffic police reveal that the jurisdictional issue dogs the enforcement of laws due to inability of the government to clearly delineate the areas of responsibility of Rawalpindi traffic police and the Motorway Police. Another complication hamstringing the traffic governance and jurisdictional conflicts is the confusion between the limits of Rawalpindi and Islamabad districts.

The limits of Islamabad have been extended till Rawat and even residential areas, like portions of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). This has led to a lot of confusion related to traffic police jurisdiction. The public remains confused by this jurisdictional conflict amongst the forces monitoring traffic in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and on the motorway. The limits of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been extended, but, rather comically, the stretch between Rawat and Swan Bridge, which is degene- rating into another Raja Bazaar-like mess, is still being looked after by Motorway Police.

The entity called the Motorway Police has a depleting workforce, and lacks requisite equipment, like fork-lifters, to clear the highway space from the illegally parked vehicles that belong to influential people who come to pick up their children from private schools located along the highway. Who gave the no-objection certificate (NOC) to such schools along a highway is a subject of another discourse.

Moreover, millions are being spent on Swan Bridge’s widening, but another bottleneck in front of Bahria Gate Phase I-V has been created due to traffic mess caused by the private schools. At present the stretch between the Bahria Gate and a famous Islamabad bakery happens to be a happy hunting ground for illegal parking mafia.

In short, governance starts with small steps, and those small steps in this context include resolving the jurisdic-tional blues. The cri de coeur of the hapless denizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has fallen on deaf ears so far.

Dr Raashid Wali Janjua
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2024